


At this dire hour

by Ricksbowlegs



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Daryl is understanding, M/M, Rick is a dumbass, Rickyl Writers' Group December 2015 Optional Challenge, Violence, but still won't take his shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:40:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5405111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricksbowlegs/pseuds/Ricksbowlegs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a terrible incident, Rick is behaving like a dumbass and going down the wrong path again, so it's Daryl's responsability to bring him back from it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At this dire hour

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Wrote this for Rickyl Writer's Group: December 2015 optional challenge. First RWG challenge I take on. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> *Warning for spoilers for episode 6x09*
> 
> Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine...try to ignore them.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Rick or Daryl, or any other TWD character. It's all for fun!

Rick was being a dumbass, but Daryl followed him loyally. He’d tried to reason with him before but it’d been useless. When Rick was like that–and he’d witnessed firsthand at the prison–there was no one he’d listen to. He had to come out of it on his own. 

Daryl had to track him down for the idiot had left without telling anyone. He’d caught up to him a good half hour ago and tried to get him to come back to Alexandria with him, but Rick was beyond reason and barely acknowledged his presence. He’d kept his distance since. The younger man clearly wanted to be left alone. 

After a long while, he decided to stop the man. It was one hell of a stupid risk coming out here just the two of them, barely armed or rested, and with all the shit they’d been through–all the shit they were going through– it was just tempting death. Besides, they were far more needed back home. And who knew how many of those men were out there? For all Daryl knew, they could be watching them right now. 

He jogged ahead to meet the former sheriff. “Rick, slow down. It’s dangerous out here and ya don’ even know where yer goin’” Daryl wasn’t surprised when he got no answer. Rick didn’t even slow down. “Ya know ya can’t track for shit.”

Daryl sighed and shook his head when Rick quickened his pace. He brought his hand up to his shoulder to fix a stripe that wasn’t even there, feeling naked without it.

“Where exactly did they ambush you?” Were the first words Rick uttered since the hunter had caught up with him.

Daryl snorted. “Yer asking now?” 

Rick stopped abruptly and turned to face him. There was a questioning look on his face but his eyes looked hollow, devoid of any emotion. He gave Daryl a twitchy nod.

“Definitely not in that direction.”

Rick locked eyes with him, tilting his head–an angry glint in them. “And you’re telling me now!?”

“Hey, I tried to stop ya.”

“Where did they ambush you,” Rick huffed, clearly struggling to keep his anger under control.

“The hell do ya think yer goin’ to do, huh? Kill ‘em all with six bullets and a hatchet? Are ya insane?”

“They’re a threat! We _have_ to kill them!” Rick hissed, body shaking with anger. “ _I_ have to kill them.”

“No ya don’t.”

“Tell me where it was!” Rick yelled hoarsely, stepping into Daryl’s personal space, trying to intimidate him. Daryl didn’t give two shits.

“I ain’t telling ya nothin' unless it’s how to get yer ass back to Alexandria! Yer boy just got shot an all ya can do is running away!?” He yelled right in the leader’s face, swinging his arm in anger, then turned back the way they’d come from and spat as he walked away, disappointment heavy in his tone. “Never took ya for a coward before, Rick.”

He heard it, he knew it was coming, but he didn’t stop it. He was giving the man a chance to back down– one he was certain Rick would take– but he was proved wrong when hands grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to spin around and a fist collided with his jaw sending him face first onto the ground. Daryl recovered quickly, though. He’d gotten far worse.

He scrambled to his feet quickly and body slammed Rick, tackling him to the ground. The leader left out a pained grunt when his back hit the hard concrete with a thud, the archer heavy on top of him.

Daryl was angry now. Angry at Rick’s fucking mental instability that made him lose his fucking mind whenever shit got out of his control, which was more often than not; angry at the fucking wall for collapsing, angry at his stupid naivety that led him to get played dirty on, angry at those idiots who’d stolen their shit and whoever this fucking Negan was; angry at Morgan for not killing that wolf and hurting Carol to protect him, and angry at himself for not being there to do something about it. His fist connected with Rick’s cheekbone so hard he was sure his hand would resent it for days. Rick’s head violently shifted to the side with the force of it.

He was about to deliver a second blow when Rick kneed him on the ass and threw him off balance and off of him. The furious man was on top of him in a second, but Daryl was able to get his knee under him and pushed with all his force, throwing Rick off, who landed hard on his ass. There was a deranged look in the younger man’s face as he glared at Daryl, ready to launch himself at the archer again, but Daryl was quicker. He threw himself on top of Rick, forcing him flat on his back then grabbed his wrists as the ex-sheriff intended to punch him again, forcing his arms to fold against his chest, pushing down with all his weight, preventing any movement. 

They breathed heavily, glaring at each other. Rick made a bold attempt at throwing Daryl off of him again by lifting his hips and twisting his lower body, but Daryl wouldn’t budge and trapped the younger man’s legs with his own.

“Get the fuck off me, NOW!” Rick yelled with such rage every vein in his forehead became visible.

Daryl considered not doing it, but he was too defeated by everything that had befallen them of late: The wolves, Dwight, Negan; people still alive out there were dangerous, all of ‘em. They all wanted something from you. They all wanted to destroy. He should’ve listened to Rick. 

He pulled away, not without harshly shoving Rick as he stood up. 

The man underneath sprung back on his feet and without sparing him a glance, continued on his way, in the same wrong direction they’ve been heading.

“Damn it, Rick!” he called as he caught up with the ex-sheriff. “We goin’ back, now! Yer boy needs ya!” He yelled and grabbed Rick’s arm with force and pulled in the opposite direction causing Rick to stumble and almost fall backward, but the younger man snatched his arm free from the archer’s grasp violently and shoved Daryl hard on the chest. 

“HE’S DEAD!” 

Both men froze at the brutality of those words, and then he saw it, the moment when Rick completely broke. The coldness in those steel blue eyes melted for a fraction of a second but it was immediately replaced by despair and utter devastation while they filled with tears. 

Rick actually believed Carl was dead.

“He ain’t dead, Rick. He ain’t.”

“For how long?” 

The question was asked in such a low voice, almost a whisper, quite the contrast with the enraged tone the man held just moments before. It sounded so vulnerable; so broken Daryl felt his own heart shattering.

“He ain’t dying, Rick. Carl’s a tough kid. He’ll get out of it, like ya did.” 

Rick’s eyes shifted to the ground between them, fists shaking at his sides. The sheer force of a wretched sob that ripped from the younger man’s chest forced him to bend forward, his knees gave and he fell on a heap in front of the archer. Daryl wasted no time and kneeled beside the leader, wrapping his arm around the trembling back. Rick leaned against him, face buried in his chest. The sobs became stronger and Daryl could feel the fabric of his shirt becoming damp with the broken man’s tears. 

Rick cried for quite a while, letting it all out. Daryl could only sit through, holding the man close, offering his comfort.

When the sobbing subsided, Rick lifted his head and stole a red-eyed glance in Daryl’s direction. The archer sneaked an arm around Rick’s neck and tugged him close to plant a kiss on the younger man’s right temple. He loved him to death.

“We gotta go back, babe.”

Rick eyed him warily– raw fear etched in those blue orbs– and spoke between dry sobs. “What if…what if he’s dead…when get there?” 

Daryl tucked a stray curl behind the man’s ear lovingly. “He ain’t. But we gotta see for ourselves.” 

He stood up and offered a hand for Rick to take. When they were both on their feet, Daryl inspected the cut in his lover’s cheekbone. It wasn’t a deep gash and there were no cracked bones, but it would bruise badly, same with his lip. He placed a soft kiss over the wound. Rick didn’t flinch.

The hunter started walking back home but then noticed Rick wasn’t following so he turned back.

Rick stood there, tense and edgy, looking completely lost; head ducked down and staring at the ground. “I’m sorry,” blue eyes locked with his then, begging for forgiveness.

He bit his lower lip and shook his head. “I’m sorry too, man.”

Rick nodded and strode hesitantly toward Daryl, who received him in him with open arms wrapping them around the younger man’s waist. They hugged for a couple of minutes then Rick parted just enough to press his forehead against Daryl’s, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. Daryl brought one hand to lift Rick’s chin and plant a soft, chaste kiss in the man plump lips, too quick for him to respond. “Let’s go.”

Rick flicked is eyes up; locking them with the archer’s– drawing strength from them– and nodded. 

“Let’s go.”


End file.
